McNeill Family Crest & Name History

Your McNeill ancestor may well appear as MacNeill in earlier records.

What is the meaning of McNeill?

Read literally, McNeill points to “Descendant of Niall”. In the 2010 US Census, 19,152 Americans gave McNeill as their last name (rank 1,875).

How is McNeill related to MacNeill?

Before spelling was fixed, MacNeill was also written McNeill. Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard. Other spellings include MacNeil.

Does every McNeill family have a crest?

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named McNeill, so the heraldry linked to MacNeill is a starting point, not an automatic right.

For the full story, order the McNeill surname pack.